Martha Argerich, grand dame of the piano, joins forces with world-famous cellist, Mischa Maisky in this world premiere of composer Rodion Shchedrin's much anticipated work "Romantic Offering". Accompanied by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and packed with bonus behind-the-scenes features, this DVD is sure to be a summer favorite.

"Shchedrin’s 'Romantic Offering' Double Concerto for Piano, Cello and Orchestra is itself highly operatic. The first movement opens with the pianist singing a gentle mezzo-soprano melody with her right hand, as the left dances coquettishly away from the strings, before the cello takes center stage with a dramatic entrance in the lower depths of the instrument. Mr. Shchedrin thinks of his new work as “a concerto for two heroes, male and female.” Ms. Argerich, as she approaches her 70th birthday, has a regal heroism that has to do with power and perception. In a second movement that begins with the piano setting up a jazzy perpetual motion of a walking bass line that would have given Charlie Parker a stroke, Ms. Argerich led Mr. Maisky, Mr. Jarvi and the amassed forces of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra to a shattering climax. Then it was time for Mr. Maisky to show his own quieter heroism. Imprisoned by the Soviets for nearly two years in the early 1970s, Mr. Maisky had to reacquaint himself with the cello on his release. He brought this sense of rediscovery to this new concerto, and particularly to the opening of the final movement. As the bacchanalia of the second movement fades away, Mr. Maisky climbed on the high board of the instrument for a five-note solo — frightening in its difficulty and moving in its execution. Having played together for more than 30 years, the two soloists know that heroism is not always Valhallan, but often as complexly tender as Tolstoy lovers and sometimes even as absurd as a pair of tramps in a play by Samuel Beckett. 'What Shchedrin understood,' Mr. Bischof-Ullmann said after the concert, 'is Mischa and Martha. Mischa is in the cello part. The piano part is Martha. They are the real heroes.'" -New York Times

ClassicalCDReview.comThis is an incredible performance that received a huge ovation and for good reason. Composer Shchedrin was present and understandably in a great mood... Argerich and Maisky played a rich performance of Franck's sonata originally for violin and piano. Neemi Järvi conducted the fine Lucerne Orchestra with his usual expertise, opening with the Dvorák Scherzo Capriccioso and ending with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9. This was a brilliant concert - don't miss it!

The Classical ReviewReleased within four months of its recording, the concert is directed with unobtrusive excellence by Michael Bayer, and presented to the high standard already established by Accentus Music (launched as recently as November 2010.) It is accompanied by a pertinent 'Behind the Scenes' bonus, directed by Maria Stodtmeier, in which Argerich and Maisky put Shchedrin's new concerto through its paces before a clearly appreciative composer.